Publishers Weekly recently posted an article attempting to define the new publishing sub-genre "New Adult", which apparently is a) ubiquitous, and b) a vital part of the publishing machine. I can sum it up for you, though: "New Adult" books are "Young Adult" books, but with explicit sex scenes in them. (Think Beautiful Disaster.) You're welcome! I just saved you a bunch of time!

I am wondering, however, if this means that my local chain bookstore will be devoting even more shelf space to teen/YA/"New Adult" literature. Their teen section has already swollen to nearly the same size as their general fiction area, and is a glowing testament to the buying power of females ages 13-23.